Mixer and grinder



4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 6, 1947 INV`ENTOR JAA/5S /4 50m.;- v

ATTORNEY Oct. 4, 1949. J. M. BoYLE MIXER AND GRINDER Filed Feb. 6, 19474 Sheets-f-Sheet 2 INVENTOR MM5-5 /i/ff 5on5 'ATTORN EY Oct. 4, 1949. J.M. BOYLE 2,483,453

MIXER AND GRINDER Filed Feb. 6, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 2 4 l 3l Z9 28 6 4Z2 INVEN-roR JQMES /I/f. Bons ATTORNEY Oei. 4, i949 J, M.` BOY-LE MIXERAND GRINDER INVENTOR ATTORNEY 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 filed Feb. 6, 1947Patented Oct. 4, 1949 UNITED STATES-TENT OFFICE MIXER AND GRINDER JamesM. Boyle, New York, N. Y.

Application February 6, 1947, Serial No. 726,875

4 Claims.

rihe present invention relates to an improvement in mixing and grindingmachines.

Known types of apparatus for mixing and grinding reveal various defectsor inadequacies which in some measure tend to limit their usefulness. Incertain wet grinding and mixing operations, for example, continuousthroughput has advantages over batch treatment. Known apparatus for thispurpose is unduly cumbersome, occupies more space than it should, andlacks flexibility or range in the time or degree of treatment availableand in respect to the variety of materials treatable in a giveninstallation.

An object of the present invention has been to provide apparatus for wetgrinding and mixing which will have a large throughput capacity inrelation to its size and cost and which can be supplied in cooperatingunits or sections to produce any desired extent or time of treatment.Other advantages and beneficial results in operation of such apparatuswill in part be apparent and in part more particularly pointed out inthe appended specification and drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is an endelevation;

Fig. 2, a transverse vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3;

Fig, 3, a longitudinal vertical section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4, a fragmentary View on enlarged scale in longitudinal horizontalsection on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5, a fragmentary View on enlarged scale in longitudinal verticalsection on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Apparatus for treating, as in mixing, dispersing, and/or grindingmaterials in wet condition according to the present invention comprisesin general a set of end pieces, one or more Work assemblies or unitsmounted between said end pieces, means for actuating moving portions ofsaid assemblies, means for feeding in the wet material to be mixed,dispersed and/or ground, and means for withdrawing or discharging thetreated material; and may advantageously include devices for controllingtemperature of the material in process of treatment, supplemental meansfor feeding in controlled quantities of substances, as ilavoring orcoloring matter, for

example, and means for taking out samples of the material undertreatment without interrupting the treating operation.

As seen more clearly in Fig. 3, an 'inlet end piece I and an outlet endpiece 2 are provided with bearings for a main shaft 3 which may bedriven by any suitable means. One or more Work units may be removablyand replaceably assembled between said end pieces. One form of such aunit, as shown in Fig. 3, embodies a rotatable assembly and a fixedmember comprising a housingor wall, as a ring ll adapted to provide amaterial treating or work chamber in the form of a groove 5 having anannular opening and shown as approximately semi-circular incross-sectional contour, and adapted to receive and cooperate withportions of said rotatable assembly. Sets of dowel pins 6 are arrangedwith end portions extending into correspondingly shaped opposed recesseslocated apart in face portions of said end pieces I and 2, and of saidhousings or rings 4. Said end pieces and one or more of said rings 4 andassociated parts are held together by tie rods l. Windows 8 of glass orother suitable transparent material are removably mounted in said endpieces l and 2.

Between each two adjacent rings 4, in case two or more work units arecombined in a single machine, and between a ring 4 and the outlet endpiece 2, a frame 9 of spider form provides support for a lixed gear Iil. Said frame 9 is held in assembled position by said pins 6 whichextend through holes therein and have their ends projecting into the 120angularly spaced recesses in face portions of rings 4 previouslymentioned.

Each ring 4 is provided with external grooves I I and I2, or with othersuitable conformation, arranged and adapted to receive temperaturecontrol fluid conducting pipes, as I3 and I4, respectively.

As shown more clearly in Figs. 4 and 5, the iluid material to be treatedis fed through a port i6 initially into a slot 55 formed in a bottomportion of the peripheral flange or inlet end piece l. An inletpassageway or slot I5 extends diagonaldy from said slot 55 into workchamber or groove 5 through a portion of the wall of ring 4 at one sideof said groove 5. Ring 4 also has a material discharging outletpassageway, as a slot Il, extending diagonally outward from work groove5 through a portion of the wall at the opposite side thereof and which,when the parts are operatively assembled, registers with a connectingpassageway, as a slot I8, in the spider Iframe 9. Where the machineincludes another work unit assembled next in series with the first, andwith said interposed frame 9, said connecting slot I3 registers with aninlet slot I5 of ring 4 of said unit following next in the series.Otherwise, fluid material passing through said slot I8 dischargestherefrom toward a material discharge port `54. A sampling or drain portI9 opening into work chamber or groove 5 between the adjacent inner endsof the inlet slot I5 and the outlet slot I'I is controlled by a petcock20. A supplemental material inlet port 2I opening into said work groove5 through an upper portion of the ring d is controlled by a petcock 22.A cover strip 23 encircles mid-peripheral portions of ring li inposition to close the temperature controlling .fluid pipe receivinggrooves II and I2.

As seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, one embodiment of temperature controlapparatus whereby heat may conveniently be added to or taken frommaterial in process of treatment in workchamber or groove 5 includes ahot uid, as water orlsteam, supply pipe 24 and a cold liquid supply pipe25, both connected to pipe I3 which lies in groove Il, Fig. 2. Valves 26and 21 control the amounts of hot and cold fluids, respectively, thussupplied to said pipe I3. The upper end of pipe I3 opens into-a chamber28 atthe inlet sideof a dam 29 which extends transversely across theinterior of said chamber 23 dividing it into an inlet portion and anoutlet portion communicating therewith i above said dam 29. Athermometer is arranged Ywit-hits heatisensitiveportion 30 exposed inthe vinlet portion of chamber 28 at a level below the top edge of dam 29"and with its indicating porvtion, as 3l, conveniently visible.

The upper end of pipe I4 opens into said outlet portion of chamber 28.The lower end of said pipe I leads into a manifold 32 which in turn isconnected by a pipe '33 to the lower end of a Yvertically adjustableriser tube 34, Fig. 1, the

overflow end of which is at a higher level than the upper edge of dam29. Said riser tube 34 is `vertically adjustable in a standpipe 35 whichdrains into a waste pipe 35 through a connecting pipe 3l. It will beunderstood that the above described circulatory system for temperaturecontrolling fluid, or any suitable modification thereof, may be employedto effect temperature -control of any desired number of work unitscombined in a single machine, veither to maintain uniform temperature orAto provide different Ytemperature conditions fordifferent .units in thegroup.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3,'the moving portions ofeach of said work unitsinclude a hub 38 secured on main drive shaft 3. Said hub 38 carries.equi-spaced brackets or arms each of whic'h has a bifurcated portion 39which provides bearings for a cross shaft Q0, Figure 3, and a radiallyextending shaft lll. Cross shaft 40 carries at one end a pinion 42 whichmeshes withy and is actuated by said ixed gear I0. Said cross shaft alsocarries abevel gear '43 which meshes with-.and drives a bevel gear 44secured at the Ainner end of radial shaft 4l. Another bevel gear 45secured -at the outer end of said radial shaft el, Fig. 2, meshes with-and `drives a -bevel gear l5 secured on aspinner shaft-41 which isjournaled in outer `end .portions of spaced terminal arms 68 extending'outwardly from a .cross bar SS and with said -outer end portionsprojecting -into said work chamber-5 through the annular Aopening inthewall thereof.

results desired. Thus, when main shaft 3 is rotated, for example, in thedirection of the arrow a, or clockwise as seen in Fig. 2, the abovedescribed train of gears, pinions and shafts operated from xed gear I0serve to rotate the spinners 5D in work chamber or groove 5 in aclockwise direction, as seen at the bottom of Fig. 3 and in Fig. 5,while said spinners are at the same time Ymoved endwise in a circularpath through said workchamber or groove 5.

Each end of each of said cross bars 49, Fig. 2, is connected to supportan end of a dash plate or trough 5I of generally circular longitudinalsectional contour disposed in an arc and with inner surface portionsopposite the greater part of the length of one of said spinners 50, sothat Voperative portions of said spinner are in effect disposed betweena wall portion of the chamber or groove 5 and said trough 5I.

As shown more clearly in Figs. 3 and 5, the spinners '50 are arranged tooperate in the work groove 5 of ring and said troughs 5I are arrangedasymmetrically 'in relation to said work groove 5 and their respectivespinners to the extent that the outer edge of flange 52 thereof isdisposed close to and overlying a portion of the inner 'surface of ring4 adjacent to the annular opening of work groove 5; whereas the outeredge of the other ange 53 of trough 5| overlies portions of said openingand the spinner and is spaced inwardly therefrom.

In operation of Vthe illustrated embodiment, the material or materialsin liquid form or carried in a liquid medium may be fed in a continuousstream, if desired, into the work chamber 5 through inlet port IB. Thevolume thus supplied to said work chamber is preferably such as to bemoved freely through the inlet slots or passageways 55 and I5 into thecircular path of movement of the agitators or spinners 5D and dischargedthrough the outlet passageway or slot Il without overflow into adjacentconfined spaces. Said spinners operate in said work chambers 5 with acombined liquid advancing effect coupled with an active cross agitationproduced by rotation-of the spinners about their axes during theirendwise or liquid advancing movement.

'I'he speed Awith which said spinners travel in chamber 5 is determinedby the Aspeed of main `shaft 3 and, at the minimum, is preferably suffi-`are forcedby said dash plate back into `the stream '0f material movingin a Vcircular -path through said chamber.

It 'is contemplated that where only a single work chamber 5 is employed,the-degree or extent .of treatment of any -given material therein may bevaried by varying the speed of rotation of shaft, or of the spinnermemberaor both.

Where the apparatus can be set up to employ -two or more work-chambersconnected in series, fthe degree or extent of treatment of a givenmaterial may -be varied by passing it through more or fewer of said workchambers before discharge, as well yas by the .speed changes rst abovesuggested.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that physical conditions 0rcharacteristics of various materials'will in large measure determinewhether such materials can be advantageously treated at all in theapparatus above described and, if so, at what speeds and for how long toproduce desired results.

In general, apparatus according to the present invention produces at lowlabor and power cost, effective intimate mixing or blending of differentliquids; suspension or dispersion of certain solids in liquids or of onekind of liquid in another, as water in oil, or vice versa; and reductionin particle size of relatively friable or easily divided solid particlesin a liquid medium. These functions indicate usefulness of saidapparatus and advantages of its continuous flow mode of operation in themanufacture or processing of products such as pharmaceuticals, candies,cosmetics, foods, cellulose, plastics, paints, chemicals and otherswherein known types of mixing, dispersing and grinding devices of thebatch type, for example, are inadequate in operation or involveexcessive labor and operation costs.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for treating, as in mixing, dispersing and/or grindingmaterials in wet condition, the combination of a work chamber having anannular opening, a main shaft coaxial with said annular opening, meansarranged and adapted to feed material into said chamber, angularlyspaced radially extending brackets mounted on said main shaft, a xedgear mounted coaxially with said main shaft, agitating means supportedbetween said brackets and movable endwise in a circular path throughsaid work chamber with rotation of said main shaft, means mounted onsaid brackets and cooperating with said fixed gear for rotating saidagitating means While the latter is moving endwise in said circular paththrough said work chamber, and means arranged and adapted to dischargematerial from said work chamber.

2. Apparatus for treating materials, as in mixing, dispersing and/orgrinding in wet condition, the combination of a work chamber, a materialinlet thereto, a material outlet therefrom, a main shaft concentric withsaid work chamber, a material agitator, means for moving said agitatorthrough said work chamber endwise in a circular path concentric withsaid main shaft, and means for rotating said agitator including a crossshaft and cross shaft actuating means operatively interposed betweensaid cross shaft and said main shaft.

3. Apparatus for treating materials, as in mixing, dispersing and/orgrinding in wet condition, the combination of a work chamber, a materialinlet thereto, a material outlet therefrom, a fixed gear, a main shaftconcentric with said work chamber, angularly spaced radially extendingbrackets mounted on said Vmain shaft and having journals at their outerends, a flexible agitating member having end portions supported in saidjournals, said member being movable in a circular path and endwisethrough said chamber with rotation of said main shaft, and means forrotating said member on its own axis simultaneously with said circularmovement thereof, including a fixed gear, and driving means operativelyconnecting said end portions of the flexible agitating member with saidfixed gear.

4. Material treating apparatus comprising in combination a casing, aspider mounted therein, a gear secured to said spider and arrangedconcentrically in the casing, a main shaft concentric with the casingand with said gear, radially extending angularly spaced brackets mountedon said main shaft, pinions journalled on said brackets and engagingsaid gear, an agitating member having end portions journalled in endportions of said brackets, and means operatively interposed between saidend portions of the agitating member and said pinions and arranged andadapted to rotate said agitator member around its longitudinal axisduring rotation of said main shaft.

JAMES M. BOYLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 685,217 Miller Oct. 22, 19011,956,141 Vogt Apr. 24, 1934 2,020,878 Doering Nov. 12, 1935 2,345,063Nauta Mar. 28, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 458,079 GermanyMar. 29, 1928

